The challenge of finding love in the world today can take many forms, but at its heart love is the same: it’s all about forging a connection with another person. Experience romance at its most relatable in these four contemporary stories of male-male love with a British flavour from award-winning authors Josephine Myles and JL Merrow.
In these stories you’ll find out how to communicate without words, be teased by a memory that’s just out of reach, flash back to young love and emerging sexuality, and discover how opposites can attract when you meet a stranger in a strange land.
These stories have all been previously published, but are now available exclusively in this anthology.
This is such a delicious collection of sweet, short and dirty connections and reconnections between men who are lucky enough to find love and I was lucky enough to pick up this anthology when it came through the clubhouse. Short stories aren’t easy to get invested in, but these four are perfect examples of short stories done right. They are all just enough without being too much and they left me completely satisfied but still wanting more. More because I read about eight characters that I had a lot of feelz for in just a few pages and considering I’ve read a few recently that gave me very little in a couple of hundred pages, I was thirsty for some meat on my men and these two authors delivered.
Epiphany by JL Merrow
Anyone who is a fan of JL Merrow’s Muscling Through (and that’s pretty much everyone) will love Epiphany. It’s similar in that’s it told in first person POV from the less cultured of the two MC’s. Vinnie is the quintessential New Yorker who tells things like he sees them and when he spots Graham, a Brit who is lost his way in the Big Apple, he’s instantly smitten. I loved reading his totally honest view of Graham especially when it was more rough around the edges. It’s a completely charming little tale and I loved it.
Halfway up the Stairs by Josephine Myles
Halfway up the Stairs is such a well told established couple story. The balance between the current and the flashback are perfect. Some readers are not big fans of the established couple theme, and I get that, reading the discovery of a new romance is a beautiful escape. But, the flashback to when Charlie and Josh get together along with Charlie’s coming out will satisfy any romance reader and then some. It’s sweet and it’s hot and it’s perfect. The author managed to deliver a new romance, some established couple angst (that most people can relate to) and an HEA in just a few pages.
Sense Memory by JL Merrow
Colin lost his sight a year ago and while he’s completely independent, he is lonely and is giving the online dating thing a try. He meets up with Alban at a coffee shop and the two of them hit it off. The author did a great job of showing a connection between the two. The twist at the end gave the story a unique flavor and there was a good subtle build up that made it work seamlessly with the meeting between Colin and Alban. It’s not easy to pull off the idea of an HEA in such a short story but I would but it for this one easily.
Without Words by Josephine Myles
Without Words is short and sweet perfection. Josephine Myles is amazing at giving a lot of character depth with so few words and this story is a great example. Lots of showing made extra telling unnecessary which fit even better for the story of Nick and Sean. It’s one of those stories that I read and then felt the neeeeeed for more because of how much I got invested so quickly, but at the same time, nothing was left unresolved or unsatisfying. I just loved it so hard that I wanted more.
For more info on Truly, Madly, Boys, check it out on Goodreads.
**a copy of this anthology was provided for an honest review**
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